Ecosystem Exemption.

I’ve been putting off writing this because I don’t like sounding like some crazy alarmist hippie, but then I figure so what if I sound like some crazy alarmist hippie because you know what? Sometimes you have to be a crazy alarmist hippie to get shit done.

So I’ve had a few conversations lately on green technology (i.e. solar panels, wind turbines, etc) and green cleaning (i.e. natural products vs. chemical cleaners) that have made me realize there are quite a few people who don’t realize the planet is the single most important thing, in existence, ever.

Like, we need it. To live.

Someone told me that he doesn’t support green technology because it is being forced on a society and economy that cannot support it. He says we need to first fix things like education, social security, and healthcare before we worry about cleaner energy alternatives or the environment. You know, the easy things.

I get where he is coming from; solar panels and wind turbines are expensive as hell and it’s hard to think about overturning everything we are used to in order to clean up our act a little; especially if it means spending more money in the short-term when we have no money to spend.

But I am not writing this to talk about money or whether or not solar and wind energy are good ideas, and I am not writing this with the assumption that the Earth is going to implode and we are going to find ourselves in an apocalypse where only the weird survivalists with cans of dried food in the back of their pantry will survive. I’m talking about this highly misguided idea that climate change will apparently skip over our society because we are too busy arguing over healthcare reform and prayer in schools and the definition of traditional marriage.

The way the average person in a developed country lives is not sustainable. If we cannot maintain the ecosystem that keeps us alive, things like education, social security, and healthcare are moot. Irrelevant. They no longer exist. Cows are eating ice cream sprinkles for breakfast because the drought has killed the corn crops needed to feed them, meaning steak is going to be expensive as fuck come winter and will probably taste like sweet and sour beef. Tell me there isn’t something off, here.

Humans seem to forget that we are still animals. Just because we are more technologically advanced than a piece of coral or a honey badger does not mean we are exempt from the changing ecosystem. The fact that you can operate a Honda but a rhinoceros cannot does not mean the rhino is fucked and you’re in line for a VIP express train to Mars. Your social security check or 401K will not get you there, either.

It’s not even like we all have to give up our favorite things and spend millions of dollars to clean up the planet a little. I love living simply, which is why I write about natural alternatives to cleaning and beauty products, and offer up my advice and experiences on how to lower your carbon footprint without affecting your daily routine. You don’t have to deck your lawn out in solar panels to make a difference, you just have to be aware of what you’re doing and using and see where there is room for improvement, which is the first step to a healthier planet. It’s not a costly venture if you start by making little changes.

I’m tired of this being a controversial political issue. I hear people say “we cannot afford to tackle environmental issues until we can take care of ourselves.” That’s deep bro, but at the rate we’re going, are we ever going to be able to take care of ourselves from such a divisive, closed-minded standpoint? Isn’t the space that allows us to breathe, eat, live, and thrive the biggest part of our own self-sufficiency? Last I checked, you can’t have grade school or a 401K or bacon-wrapped shrimp if you don’t have a place to live. An infinite economy will not thrive in a finite environment. I know, crazy alarmist hippie bullshit. But I had to get it out.

What do you think?

Posted on September 26, 2012
This entry was posted in Life and tagged climate change controversy, crazy hippie bullshit, economy vs environment, importance of green technology.